Madressah students.

GETTING students of madressahs involved in politics is a bad idea, primarily because seminarians should be concentrating on their studies, while their involvement in politics is bound to radicalise the political discourse. This is why the prime minister's orders to Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid to prevent students of madressahs from joining the PDM's scheduled march on Islamabad is a good idea. However, it is also true that the move smacks of hypocrisy as when Imran Khan - then a fiery member of the opposition - was besieging the federal capital in 2014, he himself had a bit of help from religious elements. It should be remembered that supporters of cleric-politician Tahirul Qadri, in their thousands, had staged an 'Inquilab' march and dharna, coinciding with the PTI's protest campaign in Islamabad. Many of Mr Qadri's supporters were students of madressahs and schools affiliated with the cleric's religious and political organisations, though at that time Mr Khan did not seem to mind the inclusion of seminary students in politics. Where the current PDM protests are concerned, the head of the Deobandi waqf that administers that school of thought's...

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